Dragon of the West, Phoenix of the West
by Incidental Vegan Cannibal
Summary: When Zuko asks his uncle to help Azula, Iroh learns that he has a lot more in common with his niece than he initially realized. Once the assassination attempts and public meltdowns stop, the two of them are able to focus on the things that really matter in life: tea, pai sho, war stories, beautiful women, and missing mothers. Tyzula eventually.
1. Chapter 1

It seemed that flying bedpans were a common occurrence around these parts. The Fire Nation Capital Asylum was not a place Iroh would ordinarily have visited, but Zuko had begged him for moral support with sweaty hands. And so there they were, dressed in royal robes with their royal hairpieces, dodging flying excrement.

"I guess we should have brought umbrellas," Iroh joked.

Zuko didn't smile. He was too busy wiping his hands on his red robes. "What if she's still evil? And still crazy?"

"Then you can run out the door and never come back," Iroh said. "She can't firebend right now. What's the worst that can happen?"

Zuko swallowed and rubbed his hands together. "I don't want her to be crazy. I just want her to be normal. Healthy."

"That would take a miracle," Iroh muttered.

"She's this way," the nurse said. Most of the white strands in her black here were flying in an invisible breeze as she moved.

They followed her down white corridors. Iroh tried to ignore the shrieks and moans from the cells. Presently, the nurse unlocked an unremarkable cell and let them in.

"Call if you need any help," she said, then bolted off to her next emergency.

Azula was lying on her side, back turned to them. Her ankle was shackled to the foot of the bed. Her hair was in a simple braid, and two mitts were tied around her hands. That was probably related to the scabbed-over claw marks on her cheek and neck. She seemed reasonably clean and well-groomed, but then again this hadn't been a surprise visit.

"Azula?" Zuko said.

Iroh saw her eyelashes flutter, but she gave no other sign that she'd heard her name.

Zuko sat next to her on the bed. "Azula, can you hear me?"

Azula murmured something that Iroh couldn't hear. Zuko's scar seemed to glow red as the rest of his face lost its color.

"What did she say?" Iroh asked.

"She wants me to kill her," Zuko said. He touched her shoulder, and she winced and pulled away from him. "What's the matter?" Zuko asked her.

Iroh joined him at Azula's bedside. He untied the red robe and pulled it off his niece's arms, leaving her wearing a white camisole underneath a silver mesh corset. Azula's arms were covered in bruises which ranged from yellow and fading to fresh and purple. She didn't say a word as they undressed her; in fact, her yellow eyes glazed over and her spirit seemed to leave the room completely.

"She's so thin," Zuko said. "And someone's been hitting her."

"It's possible she did that to herself," Iroh cautioned.

"Yes, Uncle, I'm sure she put this hand-shaped bruise on her own back," Zuko snapped, pointing to Azula's back.

Iroh joined him at the head of the bed and saw that Azula did indeed have a near-perfect handprint on one shoulder blade. The print was larger than Iroh's hand.

"It's like someone slapped her really hard," Zuko said.

Either that or someone had pressed all their weight onto her shoulder in order to hold her down. Iroh didn't mention that.

"I have to get her out of here," Zuko said.

"Who will take care of her?" Iroh asked. "You have duties and responsibilities as Fire Lord."

"I'll hire a nurse," Zuko said. "I'll hire the Kyoshi warriors to make sure she's safe. I'll figure something out. I can't leave her here. She may be crazy and evil, but she's my sister."

Iroh sighed. "I suppose as long as she can't firebend, she's not much of a threat," he conceded.

Zuko hugged Azula, who remained wherever she had fled to when they'd undressed her. Her body was limp, seeming as pliable in Zuko's arms as string.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Azula," Zuko said into her hair. "Does that sound good?"

Azula stirred. "What?"

"Do you want to go home?"

She gave him a suspicious look. "Don't play games with me."

"I'm not." Zuko struggled to put her robe back on, tying it with a clumsy knot. "Come on, we'll leave right now."

He melted the chain attaching her to the bed. Azula tried to sit up. She got halfway up before flopping helplessly against the pillow.

"It's okay," Zuko said. "I can carry you." He cradled her like a baby, lifting her smoothly off the bed.

"Do you need help?" Iroh asked.

"No." Zuko's jaw was clenched tightly. "I've carried tea trays heavier than her. Can you get the door?"

They marched out the front door with Azula still dressed in her robe, part of a chain dangling from her ankle. No one questioned the Fire Lord.

Back at the palace, Azula slept for nearly two days straight, according to the Kyoshi warrior assigned to watch her. When she finally awoke, she seemed quieter than before, if just as paranoid and unpleasant. Iroh observed her long enough to make sure she wasn't ill or making plans to steal the throne from Zuko. Zuko sat with her for most of that afternoon.

"How is she?" Iroh asked when his nephew finally joined him for tea.

"Broken," Zuko said. "But she seems more like herself now."

"I'm not so sure that's a good thing," Iroh said.

"She can barely breathe with that device squeezing her," Zuko said. "She can't even light her fingers on fire. And her muscles have gotten so weak that I don't think she could move much even without the corset."

"I hope you are not thinking of taking it off of her," Iroh said, trying to conceal his alarm.

"I'm not stupid," Zuko said. "I still have the scars from when she almost killed me." He thumped his chest. "But she was sick then. Maybe when she gets better…"

"And what if she never gets better?" Iroh asked. "Are you going to let her live so close to where you sleep? You have enough problems with assassins as it is."

"About that," Zuko said. "I was thinking that Ba Sing Se might be a good place for her to recover."

Iroh took a swig of calming tea. "I don't think I like where this is going."

"You changed my life, Uncle," Zuko said. "I don't trust anyone else to take care of her."

"You don't even know if she's well enough to travel that far, Zuko. It is a very long journey to Ba Sing Se."

"Then you two can stay in our home on Ember Island until she can travel," Zuko said. "She needs you, Uncle. She needs someone to give her weird advice that doesn't make sense at the time, about our father's abuse and finding her own path and making her own destiny."

"I don't think there's any hope for her," Iroh said bluntly.

"A lot of people could have said that about me," Zuko reminded him.

"You were different."

"Because I had you! I knew you loved me, and I knew my mother loved me wherever she was, and I eventually made a bunch of friends who loved me. Azula's never really had anyone but our father, and you know what a great dad he's not. We kind of abandoned her. It's partly our fault she turned out crazy and evil."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No. I don't think she'd want us to get any credit for that." Zuko sat back. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think Azula needs… love."

Iroh drank more tea to avoid answering. Azula had never been as friendly and likeable as Zuko. But, now that Iroh reflected on it, he had never really made an effort to be friendly with her, at least not in a way she could understand. He had treated her like he'd imagined little girls ought to be treated, pretending that her fondness for swordfighting and warfare didn't exist. Since she'd gotten older, he'd treated her as Ozai's insane secret weapon. Perhaps that had been a mistake. After all, she did share Zuko's lineage. Zuko's conflicting bloodline had led to a fever, but maybe Azula's had led to insanity. Perhaps if he focused on the the similarities between her and Zuko, rather than the differences, he could learn to love her the way he loved Zuko. The pleading look his beloved nephew was giving him made up his mind.

"I will do it," Iroh said at last. "I can't promise she will get better, but I will keep her safe and give her my 'weird advice'."

Zuko nearly dropped his teacup in his rush to hug Iroh. "Thank you, Uncle!"

Iroh just shook his head, not sure what he'd gotten himself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko left the next morning for a meeting, taking most of the royal guard with him. Iroh stayed in his chambers until supper time, when he could no longer avoid his niece.

Azula sat on a cushion at the low table, legs crossed in a meditation pose. She was pressing her hands against rib cage, a pained expression on her face. She startled violently when Iroh spoke.

"If you're trying to trick me into taking it off, you can stop," he said. "Your mind games will not work on me."

"Fuck you, old fool," Azula snapped, dropping her hands to rest on her knees. She sucked in a tiny breath. "And don't sneak up on me like that. It's rude."

He grinned, wondering if she was being deliberately hypocritical. It was awfully funny, either way. "You should eat. Your dinner will get cold."

He sat down across from her and loaded his plate with dumplings, noodles, vegetables, and roast duck.

She grabbed her chopsticks in her left hand, only to immediately tuck them between the fingers of her right hand.

"So, I'm to be your prisoner?" Azula asked. "I'm sure you're as thrilled as I am."

"Zuko seems convinced I can redeem you," Iroh said.

"Yes, well, we all know I inherited all the brains," Azula said, stabbing her noodles. "Not to mention the ruthlessness. It's to be expected, though. Father comes from a long line of men just like him, and Mother-" She paused, seemingly to catch her breath. "Mother was a cold-blooded killer when she had a reason to be."

"Are you going to eat your food or make a sculpture from it?" Iroh asked.

"But my ruthlessness is what made me such a good warrior," Azula continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "How else could a fourteen-year-old overthrow the Earth Kingdom government with an army of two other teenagers? You tried for years and didn't fully succeed. It took me less than a day."

"That wasn't the result of ruthlessness," Iroh said. "Those things were accomplished with cleverness and determination. If you were more ruthless than you were clever, the invasion of Ba Sing Se would not have been a bloodless coup."

"You flatter me," she said. "It's alright, though. I know I'm a monster, bloodless or not. That's what you all think of me, isn't it?"

Iroh said nothing. It didn't seem polite to verbally agree with her.

"Zuko cares a great deal about you," he replied instead.

"Zuko is an idiot," she said, very softly. "I tried to kill him."

"But you failed." Iroh's left hand twitched towards his chopsticks for just a fraction of a second before decades of training corrected him and employed his right hand instead. "You should eat. You're much too thin."

"You eat it if you want," she said. "I don't trust it."

"Why?" Iroh sniffed one of the dumplings. "Does it smell spoiled?"

"No, but if an assassin were to poison it, you wouldn't know until you were writhing on the ground, bleeding from every orifice," Azula said.

Iroh shrugged and stuck the dumpling in his mouth. "At least I would die happy, knowing I had a delicious last meal," he said.

Azula winced, left hand reaching for her stomach again. "Pass the water jug."

He slid the water pitcher across the table. "You trust the water?"

"I watched the servant wash and fill the jug," Azula said. "I haven't taken my eyes off it since."

She poured the water into a glass and drank it quickly, refilling it twice.

Iroh started to make some joke about water and firebending, and that was when the window facing the courtyard imploded towards them.


	3. Chapter 3

Iroh raised his head as the dust and broken glass settled. Zuko would not be pleased; glass was very expensive.

Something whizzed by Iroh's ear, and he plucked it from the air like a fly. He glanced down at it: some kind of poison dart.

Azula had dropped to a crouch and was struggling into a crawl. She was gasping for breath so loudly a blind assassin could have found her.

More darts zinged forth. Iroh caught one and burned another to ashes, but a third flew straight for the back of Azula's neck. She collapsed on her stomach in a panting heap at exactly the right second, and the dart imbedded itself in the carpet near her.

Iroh jumped onto his feet. Fire warmed his palms as he prepared to hurl two huge balls of flame at the assailant. He ran to the broken window, but all he could see in the distance was a black mask and black stealth suit. He thought he saw a peek of long black hair under the mask, but it was hard to tell for certain.

He gave a sharp look around his surroundings. As best he could tell, there were no more assassins. Perhaps they thought Azula had been hit by one of the darts.

Iroh knelt by his niece, who was face down on the broken glass. She seemed to have fainted, but there were no darts stuck in her. He carefully rolled her onto her back and carried her to a more interior room, one with no windows. By the time he laid her on a sofa, she was already shifting around.

Her eyes opened. "What happened?" she demanded. "Where's the assassin?"

"Gone," Iroh said. "Ran off."

"If I wasn't wearing this fucking torture device, I could have killed him," Azula said. "Or run to safety, if I'm not allowed to defend myself."

"That's a very convincing argument," Iroh said. "Did you arrange for that assassin to attack you? Very clever to have him do it while I was there."

Azula blinked, clearly taken aback by the accusation. It took her enough time to recover that Iroh was convinced of her innocence. "Yes, you know me," she snarked. "Always hiring people to shoot poison darts at my face."

"Either way, the corset stays," Iroh said. "We will take it off when Fire Lord Zuko gives the order, and not a second before."

Azula rolled her eyes. "In other words, I'll be wearing this until I die."

"Behave yourself, and your brother just might be merciful," Iroh said. "He cares about you more than he should."

Azula's lips pursed at that, eyes narrowed. She struggled onto her side and stared at the wall for the rest of the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

Ty Lee took a deep breath, puffing up her coal-colored breastplate, and knocked on the door. Azula's Uncle Iroh opened it.

"Ahh, Ty Lee, isn't it?" he asked, smiling at her. "Please, come in."

She closed the door and followed him to the sitting area, where a steaming pot of tea sat on the table.

He gestured for her to sit and poured her a cup of tea. "I trust Zuko has told you what happened yesterday."

"Not exactly." Ty Lee sank onto the puffy cushion. "He was pretty mad when he read your letter. We thought he was gonna set the messenger hawk on fire! All he said was that we were coming home early because of an emergency. Was it Azula?"

"Yes," Iroh said, filling his own cup. "An assassin attacked her."

"Is she okay?"

"As okay as she was before it happened."

Ty Lee rubbed her ankles against the insides of the chair legs. It was a nervous habit she'd developed to keep from fidgeting too much at stressful dinner parties when she was little. Truthfully, she'd tried not to think about Azula much over the past year. The idea of her best friend sick in an asylum somewhere always made her heart hurt and her stomach feel guilty.

Iroh raised his teacup to his lips. "How would you feel about guarding Azula?"

"I don't think she'd be very happy about that," Ty Lee said. "I mean, Boiling Rock!"

"Assume that we can convince her. I am most worried about what would be best for you. What would you prefer?"

Ty Lee looked out the window. The early autumn sunlight made the trees and grass look as golden as the floor of the Fire Lord's sitting room.

"It's kind of complicated. Azula helped me realize I was special and good at things that made my mom faint, so I feel like I owe her. And…" she hesitated, knowing it would make her sound silly. "I know she's not very good at being a friend, but she tried a lot harder than you probably think. I grew up with her, and I'm still a lot closer to her than any of my real sisters. I miss fighting next to her and listening to her scary campfire stories and-" Her heart ached worse than she'd let it in a long time, and suddenly she was sniffling. So much for not seeming silly.

"Azula is lucky to have you on her side," Iroh said, offering Ty Lee a handkerchief.

She wiped her dripping nose on the soft white cloth before it could smudge her white makeup. "I'm pretty sure she'll never agree with you, but thanks."

"I am not so sure about that. Even Komodo chicken is better than no supper at all."

"Huh?" Ty Lee quirked an eyebrow at the non sequitur.

He laughed. "To my knowledge, you are the only one outside this family who still loves Azula— if anyone else ever loved her in the first place! Let her get hungry enough for friendship, and she will forgive you."

"Oh!" Ty Lee felt a little dense for not understanding right away. "I hope you're right."

Iroh set his white teacup on the red tablecloth. "Zuko is meeting with his sister soon. If you like, I could take you to see her first."

Ty Lee swallowed. "Do you think that would be a good idea?"

"I don't know," Iroh said. "I don't know Azula like you do."

Ty Lee thought about it. "I want to talk to her before Zuko gets there," she said at last.

Iroh rose. "Then I will take you to her."

She followed him through the wide, dark halls until he stopped so suddenly she ran into his back. The door they'd stopped at was unmarked, just one of several doors in that particular corridor.

"I'll be right here if you need backup," he said, pulling open the door.

Ty Lee entered a medium-sized bedroom. It was about the size of the bedroom Ty Lee had been supposed to sleep in whenever she was visiting Azula. In reality, she'd often climbed into bed with the princess, much to her mother's horror.

"It doesn't make sense," Azula was muttering to the burgundy drapes. "Logically, it's… improbable. But it's less improbable than any other theory."

Lo and Li, the twins who had transitioned from Fire Lord Azulon's concubines to Azula's caretakers, stood like statues in the corner of the room. They were having an intense conversation about Azula, using only their white eyebrows to communicate with each other. When they spotted Ty Lee, they bowed and then swept out of the room.

"My most probable theory is nothing more than a ghost story." Azula rubbed her forehead. "A fairy tale."

"Azula?"

Azula jumped and turned around. "Oh." She looked at Ty Lee with the kind of disdain she usually reserved for the lowest of the peasants. "I thought you were someone else. What do you want?"

"Who'd you think I was?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula's nostrils flared. "Ty Lee! I knew you were a traitor! How dare you—" She stopped to catch her breath. "How dare you show your face in my presence, especially dressed like that?"

"After you threw me in prison, I made some new friends," Ty Lee said. Every word was carefully chosen to raise the right response in Azula. "I was really lonely, but everyone was so nice there! And it's good to have a job now that the war is over."

"I suppose it's the only job you could get," Azula said. "We both know you're only good at fighting and boys, and you're much too annoying to make a good whore."

Sometimes the best way to react to Azula's venom was to ignore it, diverting her attention to a new topic. Other times, the best thing to do was start crying. Ty Lee covered her eyes with her hands and wept. It wasn't hard; the comment had really hurt, even though she knew Azula was only lashing out.

"You don't have to be so mean," she sniffed. "I was just trying to make conversation, Azula."

Azula crossed her arms and turned to stare out the window again.

It was pretty much what Ty Lee had expected. She wiped her eyes on Iroh's handkerchief, which she'd wadded into a ball and used to soak up the sweat dripping from her left hand. "Your uncle wants me to be your bodyguard. Wouldn't that be neat?"

"I'd rather eat nails, thank you very much."

"Come on, Azula. You can't stay mad at me forever."

"I can and I will." Azula brushed dust off of the curtain. "I don't have to forgive traitors."

This was going to be like the time Ty Lee had accidentally told Mai about the bed-wetting issue, except times a hundred.

"I didn't even want to become a traitor," Ty Lee said. "You know me, Azula. I wanted to stay with you and help you catch the avatar. I didn't know Mai was going to do something stupid like that! It was totally spur-of-the-moment because I didn't want my two best friends killing each other." She leaned against the window, trying to catch Azula's eye. "Why would I want to betray you otherwise? I still think you're the most incredible girl in the world."

Azula finally turned her head to glare at Ty Lee. "I can see right through your flattery, Ty Lee. You can't trick me with pleasant words."

Ty Lee recognized the look in Azula's eyes. It was one Ty Lee had seen in men and women everywhere she'd traveled since getting out of prison: the look of exhaustion, of aimlessness now that the war was over. Too many people in too many towns had grown up not knowing anything but war and weapons and armor. The emotional shock had been just as painful as the economic one, and Ty Lee realized that Azula had been hit by it harder than most.

"It's not flattery," Ty Lee said. "I really missed you. I just wish—"

The door opened again—apparently people here were not interested in giving Azula any privacy— and Zuko and Iroh entered.

"Go away," Azula said. She sounded petulant, and Ty Lee felt embarrassed for her. It was like Azula had reverted to a little kid again.

"We need to talk," Zuko said, joining them near the window. "Ty Lee is going to be your new bodyguard."

"No, she's not," Azula said. "You know she'll just betray me again."

"Are you planning on murdering any of my friends in front of me?" Ty Lee asked.

"Not currently," Azula said.

"Then I won't have to betray you!" Ty Lee smiled at her. "I don't want to have to block your chi, so I'd be really happy if you didn't try to kill anyone you're not supposed to."

"I don't believe you," Azula said. "And I will not have you as my bodyguard. The last thing I need is someone who would help my assassins."

"But—"

"I want someone else," Azula said. "That's my decision, and it's final. Now run along, Ty Lee. I don't want you in my presence anymore."

"Enough!" Zuko shouted, rattling the portrait on the wall. He stood up as straight as he could, which made the sunlight ripple over his armor and flame-shaped hairpiece. "Azula, you don't make the decisions around here anymore, and you can't order people out of a room! I'm the Fire Lord, and I'm the closest thing you have to a parent, so I'm appointing Ty Lee as your bodyguard. She's the only person I trust besides Uncle to keep you safe. If you don't like my decision, you're welcome to appeal it— after you prove to me that you're mature and sane enough to make your own decisions."

Azula snarled at him. "And how will I prove that, dear brother?"

"You can start by cooperating with Uncle and Ty Lee," Zuko said. "When you're done acting like a bratty child, I'll think about letting you choose your own bodyguards. Just do what you need to do to get better for now. No firebending, no running away, no rebellions."

"Anything else?" Azula rolled her eyes.

"No," Zuko said. "That's all. You're dismissed."

Azula stormed off, but the only place she could go was the other side of the room. She climbed into her bed and pulled the blanket over her head. Lo and Li sat in matching chairs on either side of the bed, drawing the gauzy curtains around the frame.

Zuko slumped like his armor was too heavy. Ty Lee wanted to clap for him, but she walked with him and his uncle out of the room.

"That was perfect!" Ty Lee exclaimed once they were a good ways away from the solid door. "You totally channeled your dad!" Seeing his expression, she quickly added, "Oh, not in a bad way! You just seemed super powerful."

"I'm learning it's the only way to get her to cooperate," Zuko said. He sounded so tired that Ty Lee felt bad for him.

"You have to convince her you're the top elephant-dog." Ty Lee nodded. "I saw it all the time when I was in the circus. The only person she respected was Fire Lord Ozai."

"And now I've gotta convince her to respect me," Zuko sighed. "At least enough to keep her from doing anything dangerous and evil."

"Cheer up, you're doing good," Ty Lee said. "Azula's definitely listening to you."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"I agree with Ty Lee," Iroh said. "You are much too hard on yourself sometimes, Zuko. But if you will excuse us, we should really work out some details about Azula's safety, and you have that meeting that you postponed."

"Oh, right," Zuko said. "Excuse me."

"This way," Iroh said.

Ty Lee waved to Zuko and trotted along behind Iroh.


	5. Chapter 5

Ty Lee didn't sleep well that night. She knew she needed a good night's sleep, but she was too nervous about starting guard duty for Azula in the morning. She ended up pacing back and forth in front of Azula's door for half an hour before finally dozing off in her own bed.

She jerked awake to the sound of knocking, and realized someone was waking her for breakfast. Wanting to make a good impression on her first day of work, she washed her face and applied her makeup before going to the royal family's dining room.

Everyone else was already there. Azula sat with her arms folded, like she was trying to look confident and rebellious, but the way she was staring blankly at the far wall just made her seem kind of... crazy. Zuko had propped his head up on one hand and was shoveling porridge into his mouth with the other. Iroh sat serenely next to Azula, sipping from a steaming white cup of tea. Lo and Li sat opposite Azula, their poses matching.

"Good morning!" Ty Lee struggled not to bounce into the room. It was her primary defense mechanism against exhaustion and cranky people, and both seemed to be in high supply today.

"'Morning," Zuko mumbled.

"Good morning!" Iroh greeted her. "How was your sleep?"

"Okay, I guess. Thanks! How was yours?"

"I did not sleep until close to morning, but the sleep I got before and after guarding my niece was most restful. You are kind to ask."

Ty Lee turned to Zuko, but he shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about sleep," he said.

"I'll just get some breakfast, then."

Ty Lee filled her bowls with porridge and noodles and fruit, and Iroh poured tea for her.

"Aren't you hungry, Azula?" Ty Lee stuffed a large piece of melon into her mouth.

Azula interrupted her staring at the wall long enough to curl her lip at Ty Lee. By the time Ty Lee had swallowed and attempted to smile at her, Azula was distracted again.

"Eat," Zuko ordered. "None of us has died from eating anything yet, and you'll need your strength today."

"Yeah! We're moving you to Ember Island today. Isn't that exciting?"

Azula didn't respond.

Zuko frowned. "Eat, Azula."

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat, or I'll tie you up and feed you like a baby!"

Azula scowled and picked up her spoon. She began taking the smallest of bites of porridge.

"Take bigger bites than that," Zuko said. "You have to finish one whole bowl of something before you can leave the table."

"And where exactly is all this food supposed to go?" Azula asked. "My stomach is squeezed just as tightly as my lungs."

"If I loosen the laces, will you eat?"

"Yes."

Iroh watched Azula over his cup. "You'd better not try anything foolish. Ty Lee and I have both stopped you before."

"She's not stupid." Zuko knelt behind Azula. "Ty Lee, come here. You might need to know this."

He pushed Azula's tunic up to her shoulder blades, revealing a meshy, cage-like corset that stretched from just under Azula's brassiere to the top of her loose trousers. "This keeps her from firebending," Zuko said. "If it's too tight, you can untie it and loosen the laces a little." He demonstrated by plucking at the metal-woven laces until the two edges relaxed away from each other. "Just make sure to lace her back up before you leave her alone."

"How does it work?" Ty Lee asked. "Does it block her chi?"

"No, it blocks her breath." Zuko sat back down. "She can still firebend a little while wearing it, but anything more than a finger-sized flame makes her pass out."

"That's so clever," Ty Lee said. "Does it hurt a lot to wear it, Azula?"

"Yes." Azula brought a bite of noodles to her lips.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" A messenger boy burst into the room, holding a scroll.

Azula startled, jostling the table hard enough to send food sloshing out of bowls. She glared at him and rubbed her knee.

"What?" Zuko demanded. "I told you guys not to interrupt me!"

"There's been a murder at the asylum," the messenger panted, presenting the scroll to Zuko. "Two doctors and a male nurse."

Everyone sat up straight, and Iroh and Ty Lee looked at each other.

"Which ones?" Azula tried to read over Zuko's shoulder.

"Doctor Chan, Doctor Li, and a male nurse named… Badgermole?" Zuko's forehead scrunched up.

"Good. They all deserved it." Azula took another bite of noodles, trying to act nonchalant even though her entire body was quivering.

Zuko crumpled the parchment and threw it against the wall. "The assassin must have gone after them for information about Azula."

"Information, or revenge?" Iroh gave Azula a pointed stare.

"Excuse me, but I've been supervised literally every moment since I got out of that hell-hole," Azula said. "I can't even relieve myself without someone watching me. Do you really think I could have planned a triple murder the three times Lo and Li blinked together? You flatter me, Uncle, but even I'm not that good."

"Enough bickering," Zuko said. "I don't think Azula's behind this. We'll all have to stay extra vigilant today."

Ty Lee frowned. "Do you think the assassins got much information from the doctors?"

"I don't know, but I don't want anything to go wrong with this move." Zuko rubbed a hand over his face. "Azula, are you eating your breakfast?"

Azula handed her empty noodle bowl to her older brother for inspection.

"Thank you," Zuko said, sounding more like himself. "Keep it up, and I'll give you more freedom." He pulled up her tunic again, grabbing the laces in one hand.

"If you cinch it too tight, I won't be able to keep down the noodles," Azula warned. "Can't you only pull it half as tight? I'm too weak to fight anyways, Brother. Look at how scrawny my muscles are now."

Iroh narrowed his eyes at Azula. "Fire Lord Zuko, even though she cannot fight, she may still be able to injure people or damage property."

"No one asked for your opinion," Azula shot back.

Zuko thought for a moment. "She could have done that before, but she didn't," he finally said. "I'll leave it a little looser for now, but Uncle and Ty Lee have permission to take you down if you firebend. Got it?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Yes, Brother."

Zuko laced her back up and tied a bow with the strings. "And you have to keep eating." He gave her an awkward kiss on the forehead. "It's the only way to get back your strength."

Azula wiped the spot where Zuko had kissed her and then rubbed her hand on the tablecloth. "If this conversation gets any sweeter, I really won't be able to keep my noodles down. Can we please leave this place already?"

"Patience." Iroh slurped at his tea. "The world does not run on your schedule."

Azula muttered several rude names and curse words under her breath. Ty Lee stared into her teacup, wishing it was filled with something stronger. All this negative energy was seriously upsetting her bowels and giving her a headache. Maybe everything would calm down once they got to Ember Island.


	6. Chapter 6

Everything got worse once they got to Ember Island.

"I won't ask you again," Iroh said in the sternest voice Ty Lee had ever heard him use. "Get off the boat."

Azula yawned and stared at the book she was perusing. "I'm too tired to move. I'll just sleep here. Besides, I'm probably much safer from assassins here."

Ty Lee rubbed sweat away from her hairline. "Come on, Azula. It's really hot up here. I promise there are no assassins down there. That loud noise you heard was just a servant with really scrawny arms trying to carry a crate. The only thing in danger is your uncle's tea set."

Iroh frowned. "Yes, and I am already a little cranky about that, so if you know what is good for you, you will come with us."

Azula ignored them both.

Ty Lee and Iroh had spent so much time packing and rushing around that it was almost sunset now. It was still hot as Zuko's throne room, even in the shade. Ty Lee cooled herself with her gold fan.

"You'll be a lot safer inside," she said. "And you must be super hungry by now. I sure am! I'm sure we'll have something delicious for dinner. Please get off the boat, Azula?"

Azula didn't answer.

"Very well. If you act like a small child, we will treat you like one." Iroh tossed Azula over his shoulder like a bag and carried her off the ship.

Ty Lee followed, trying not to laugh at Azula's expression. Her yellow eyes were narrowed, and her mouth and nose were scrunched up like a dog's.

"Fuck you!" Azula elbowed him in the head. "I'll kill you, you senile, old, stupid-"

Ty Lee grabbed Azula's wrist. "Azula, stop! Remember what Zuko said. You want to be able to do stuff for yourself, right?"

"I don't care!" Azula tried to jerk hear arm away, but her muscles were too weak and she was already wheezing.

"I know you do," Ty Lee said. "I know that at the very least, you'd like to be able to choose your own clothes and practice firebending again."

Azula crossed her arms, glaring at the ocean as she bounced against her uncle's broad shoulder, and Ty Lee knew she'd won. The problem with winning against Azula was that she usually made sure you suffered for it later.

"Fine, I won't kill him," Azula said. "For now. Put me _down_, Uncle."

"You said you were tired. I am doing you a favor."

"Put me the hell down!"

"That kind of language is not suitable for a young woman, let alone the crown princess. Have you forgotten your manners so soon?"

Azula squirmed, but she was too weak to free herself. "You sound like my mother. Let me guess, the next thing you were going to tell me is that I'll scare away potential suitors if I don't act more lady-like? Maybe you hadn't noticed, Uncle, but men aren't exactly lining up to court me since my nervous breakdown."

"I wasn't going to tell you that." Iroh kicked open the front door of the royal family's vacation home. "Now that Zuko is Fire Lord, you are under no obligation to marry anyone. And I guess you are free to curse and shout nonsense as much as you like, now that you are just the Fire Lord's crazy sister. I don't really care what you say, as long as you aren't trying to overthrow your brother. Not that you could, of course."

Azula rolled her eyes. Ty Lee was reminded of her older sisters, who had probably only been about the age Ty Lee and Azula were now, when they'd seemed so untouchably grown up.

"We're inside now, so put me down already! Are you some kind of sick pervert, getting off on carrying me around like this?"

Iroh dropped Azula onto a sofa, which was a lot less dusty than Ty Lee had been expecting. Ty Lee closed the front door and basked in the coolness of the house. Maybe it was just the heat, but she was pretty sure this was the most comfortable house in the whole Fire Nation— even if there was already fighting in it.

"Anyways, I'd like to see you stop me from reclaiming my throne." Azula curled up on the sofa, still glaring at her uncle. "My subjects worshiped me. They'd help me overthrow Zuko in a heartbeat."

"The people hated you, even before you banished them all," Iroh said. "They still hate you. That is what happens when you rule with fear. It is far too exhausting to maintain forever. Leaders who rule with respect can count on it even when they are too tired to maintain it."

"Oh, be quiet." Azula snuggled her face against one of the pillows. "I'm done speaking to you."

All the negative energy was making Ty Lee nervous, and when she got nervous she got even bouncier and more bubbly than usual. "Hey, let's change our clothes and play in the water, Azula! The sun should be gone by the time we get out there. It'll be just like old times!"

Azula yawned. "No."

"But you used to love sitting on the beach at night! Remember when you and me and Mai and Zuko-"

"No."

"But it was just last year!"

"No." She pulled a blanket over her arms. "Besides, I get too chilled once the sun goes down. Why don't you go play in the ocean, Ty Lee? And while you're there, maybe you can do the world a favor and drown."

"You don't mean that, Azula." Ty Lee's eye sockets ached from trying to hold back the tears.

Azula stretched out like a cat. "I always say what I mean. Think about it; no one missed you when you ran away to join the circus. It was so easy to find you, but your own family couldn't be bothered to come after you."

Ty Lee's chin twitched. "You missed me. You came after me."

"Yes, and I was the only one." Azula tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "How does it feel when the only person who ever truly cared about you thinks you should go kill yourself?"

Ty Lee burst into tears. Azula was probably bluffing- playing with her hair was her usual 'tell'- but she was being so darn mean. Ty Lee sobbed into her sleeve. "You act like I wanted to betray you! You think it was easy for me to do something that I knew would hurt you? I'm sorry, okay?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "This is all very amusing, but it would be a lot funnier if it was your final farewell."

"That's enough, Azula!" Iroh's face looked angrier than Ty Lee had ever seen it. "Apologize to her right now."

Ty Lee hiccuped and looked into Azula's eyes. She was crying harder (and more genuinely) than she'd ever let Azula see, and she didn't care. For a few heartbeats, Azula's remorse was exposed like a broken bone sticking out of a leg. Ty Lee really thought Azula was going to say she was sorry, that she didn't mean it, just like she always used to. But then Iroh cleared his throat, and Azula stood up, trying to pretend like she was too prideful to regret anything.

"I'm exhausted," she announced. "Good night."

Iroh and Ty Lee watched her leave. Ty Lee took deep breaths to balance her emotions, trying to figure out the most polite why to blow her nose in front of someone of Iroh's rank. She eventually settled for turning away and dabbing with her handkerchief. When she thought her voice was steady enough, she cleared her throat.

"Should I follow her?" she asked. "What if she tries to run away?"

"Lo and Li are unpacking her belongings upstairs," Iroh said. "They will look after her. Would you like some tea?"

Ty Lee nodded. They unpacked Iroh's tea basket together, and before Ty Lee's tears had finished drying on her makeup, the kettle was steaming on the stove.

"I'm very sorry for what Azula said." Iroh poured hot water into the ceramic teapot. "I'm sure she did not mean it."

Ty Lee set the table for tea. "She didn't. She never does mean it. It's just that usually she hugs me and tells me so. But I guess she's really hurting right now, huh?"

He sighed. "I worry that you are too quick to forgive her. What she said was terrible."

Ty Lee shrugged. "I know, but she's only trying to get a reaction from us. She needs the attention."

Iroh smiled. "You may be right. You are most observant, Ty Lee."

"I try!" She returned his grin.

"You know Azula better than anyone," he said. "Perhaps you have observed other things about her."

"Like what?"

"Has she ever complained of stomach pains before?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ty Lee clasped her hands together. "When she doesn't eat for a long time, her firebending builds up and starts burning her from the inside. She drinks a lot of water and tea and milk to extinguish it. It's a lot worse at night, even though firebending is supposed to be weaker when the sun goes down."

Iroh strained the tea into two cups. "That reminds me. Do you know if she has she ever had problems with her sleep?"

Ty Lee's stomach grumbled with guilt. "What kinds of problems?"

"Anything unusual for most people."

"Well, yeah, but it's not her fault." Ty Lee rubbed her sleeve. "She just works herself too hard and her body gets worn out. I know she's not perfect, but no one works harder at everything than Azula!"

"I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." Iroh slid one of the white cups to Ty Lee. "I only ask because it is difficult to care for her when I do not know what is an old problem and what is new. I promise I will not tell her you were my source of information."

"She'll know anyways." Ty Lee rested her chin on one fist. "But if you really need to know..." She took a deep breath. "Azula has horrible nightmares most nights. They're almost always about drowning, being stabbed, a turtleduck monster eating her mom, or forgetting how to firebend in front of a bunch of people. Well, they used to be about those things. Maybe she has different nightmares now."

Iroh almost snorted tea out of his nose. "A turtleduck monster?"

"You wouldn't laugh if you saw how upset she gets," Ty Lee said, but it was so hard not to giggle. "I'm serious."

Iroh wiped his face with a napkin. "I see. Thank you for the information. Is there anything else?"

Ty Lee swallowed. "Also, um, Azula has been wetting the bed since before I met her. It didn't happen very often until her mom left, but after that it was a weird night if she didn't have an accident. She gets really bad headaches when she's stressed, but she usually feels better after a nap. Oh, and her hair falls out in patches sometimes, but only when she's really stressed out. So any of that stuff would be normal for her, I guess."

"How do you know all this?" Iroh looked impressed.

"Azula tells me things," Ty Lee said. "Well, she used to, anyways. She didn't tell me a whole lot, but I think it was more than she told most people, you know? And I've spent a lot of time sleeping with her over the years, so that's how I know about the accidents and nightmares and stuff."

Iroh gave her a look she couldn't quite decipher, like the one Mom had given her when she'd mentioned that Azula liked to snuggle in her sleep. There was another clatter upstairs, and Iroh's face went neutral again. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I will keep the information my secret for now." He pulled a satchel of cakes out of his tea basket and unwrapped them, putting one on Ty Lee's plate. "You know, you were very brave to do what you did at the Boiling Rock. It can be very difficult to go against someone who is special to us, even if we know it is the right thing to do."

Ty Lee scratched the back of her hand, not sure what he meant. "Thanks, I guess. I just couldn't let Azula ruin three peoples' lives, mine included."

"In time, I'm sure that Azula will come to realize that as well," Iroh said, his voice oddly gentle and fatherly. "At the same time, I do not know if it is such a good idea for you to pursue a romantic relationship with someone like Azula. You deserve someone who is much less cruel and insane."

Ty Lee scratched her head. "Don't worry. I wasn't planning on dating anyone like Azula." She definitely didn't know anyone quite like Azula, and even if she did, they probably wouldn't have any of Azula's neat traits. Why was Iroh telling her this?

"I'm very glad to hear that."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, sipping their tea to soothe the awkwardness out of the conversation. Something thudded across the floor upstairs, and one of Azula's caretakers reprimanded her.

Ty Lee took a cake from the stack. "Watching out for Azula is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

Iroh rubbed the bald part of his head. "Tell me about it."

"She's so angry, but at the same time she's not as angry as she should be. Or she's angry at the wrong people for the wrong reasons."

"An asylum is not the most forgiving place to spend a year," Iroh said. "Particularly not when you are a teenage girl who is hated by most of your country."

Ty Lee nibbled the corner of her cake, savoring the butter and sugar and the way it just tasted like the Fire Nation circus, like home. "She acts like she's lost hope. I think she's given up on everything."

"Yes," Iroh sighed. "She's just so different than her brother."

"But she's a lot like you, right?" Ty Lee broke her spongy yellow cake into squares. "I mean, you're both super smart, and you're both kind of short. You both like tea, you're both good at firebending, and you both invaded Ba Sing Se. You can both breathe fire and you're both really good at making strategies and convincing people to do what you say. You both know exactly how to make someone feel special and good about themselves, when you want to. She's just better at scaring people, and you're better at making people laugh."

Iroh opened his mouth, like he was going to protest, and then chuckled. "You know, I had never thought of that before. Perhaps you are right. You have a rare gift, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee beamed. "I have a lot of rare gifts! Did you know I can see auras? It helps me know which places to poke when I'm blocking peoples' chi."

"How exceptional," Iroh said. "You must be the youngest in your family."

"You remembered!" Ty Lee clapped her hands. "Azula must have told you ages ago."

"It was more of a lucky guess." He sipped his tea, which had finally cooled down. "Tell me, do you think Azula will cooperate with us better in time? I doubt she will ever quite be herself again, and maybe that is a good thing. If she does not cooperate, though, it may be harder to guard her from assassins."

Ty Lee's good mood evaporated as quick as sweat in the Fire Nation summer. She stared out the window, trying to get a glimpse of the water past the trees and brush. She missed the Azula she'd sat with at their little bonfire on that very patch of sand. Her Azula had been too strong and perfect to ever fall apart in front of anyone else. Her Azula would never have lost hope like this.

She sat up straighter, like a proper Kyoshi warrior, and squared her shoulders. "I think I know how to make her cooperate with us."

"Oh?"

"We'll just have to find something that gives her hope again." Ty Lee popped a piece of cake in her mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

Ty Lee tapped her foot to keep from falling asleep. She had agreed to take the first night shift, since it was easier for her to stay up late than wake up early. The clock on the wall told her that she still had three hours to go before Iroh would take her spot in the cushioned chair next to Azula's bed. She yawned for the hundredth time and shook her whole body to wake it up.

Azula stirred under the red quilt and frowned at something only she could see. Ty Lee set her book on her lap, watching. Azula had always had trouble sleeping for one reason or another, and Ty Lee was impressed that Azula had managed to fall asleep so quickly that night. When they'd been on their adventure, Ty Lee couldn't count the number of times she'd woken up in the dark warmth and found Azula staring at the ceiling of their tent. She'd kind of gotten used to the way Azula whispered to herself for hours before she fell asleep, like a monk reciting chants about the best ways to vanquish every problem on the crown princess's mind.

Azula rolled over, her eyebrows joining her mouth in worrying. Ty Lee climbed into bed with her, clunky boots and all. No assassins had showed up so far, and Ty Lee didn't think they would. It wasn't common knowledge that Azula had been moved to Ember Island. No one but the royal family, Ty Lee, Mai, and a handful of servants had known.

"No, no..." Azula moaned in her sleep.

Ty Lee shook her. "It's just a bad dream, Azula."

Azula opened her eyes, but she still seemed to be sleeping. "I can't breathe." She mumbled something. "So much ice."

Ty Lee ran her hand down Azula's hair, just like she used to always do. "There's no ice. It's hot and humid and summery here. It was just a bad dream, okay?"

Azula lay there for so long, taking shallow breaths, that Ty Lee thought she'd fallen asleep with her eyes open.

"Okay," she finally agreed. She nestled her face into Ty Lee's bosom, apparently forgetting that she was supposed to be angry with her. Her arms snared around Ty Lee's ribs, the gentle friction setting Ty Lee's nerves on fire.

Azula was always doing this, always mixing up all of Ty Lee's emotions until they felt like a jar full of muddy paint-water. Even when Azula was asleep she was confusing. Ty Lee put her arms around Azula and rested her head on the pillow. The whole bed radiated beautiful, familiar smells: soap, clean laundry, the perfumed oil that always anointed Azula's hair. It felt just like old times, like sleepovers and cartwheels and lunch break at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, and the nostalgia felt so nice that it hurt. Ty Lee cried quietly, homesick for the old Azula and the old Mai and the old everything.

The floorboard creaked. Ty Lee startled awake, wondering when she had fallen asleep. The candle had gone out at some point, and the only light came from the half moon peeking in the far window. Her eyes adjusted, and the tall, thin shadow next to the window spiked adrenaline through her.

Ty Lee sat straight up, trying to untangle herself from the quilt and Azula's arms. A silver-tipped dart gleamed in the moonlight. Ty Lee would never be able to get to the assassin in time. Impulse took over, and she threw herself over Azula, bracing for the sharp pain of the dart embedding itself in her skin.

The pain never came. Ty Lee opened one eye, just in time to see the assassin jumping out the window.

"What are you doing?" Azula's voice was muffled by Ty Lee's chest. "I'm trying to sleep."

Ty Lee jumped up. "Sorry. There was an assassin."

"And you decided the best way to fight them was to throw yourself on top of me?"

Ty Lee peered out the window, but she couldn't see the sneaky assassin anywhere. "He was about to throw a poison dart at you. I didn't have time to do anything else."

"I forgive you, then." Azula propped herself up on her elbow. "Is it safe now?"

"I think so." Ty Lee readied her fans, just in case. "For some reason, he just turned and ran away."

"Maybe he was expecting someone else to be guarding me."

"Maybe." There was something weird about the whole situation, but Ty Lee couldn't figure out exactly what.

"Ty Lee?"

She reluctantly turned away from the window. "Yeah, Azula?"

"I didn't mean what I said earlier. About you killing yourself."

Ty Lee smiled in the dark. "I know. But thanks for saying it."

There was a small flame from the bed, and then the candle was flickering again. "Don't tell my uncle."

"I wouldn't tattle on you, Azula. It's not like you're hurting anyone or setting the house on fire."

The light danced on Azula's frown. "I need to be able to defend myself," she said. "What Uncle doesn't know what hurt him."

Ty Lee offered Azula her arm. "I promise not to tell him about the firebending. You know I don't worry about following rules that are stupid. But I'll get in a lot of trouble if I don't tell him about this assassin, and I'll get in even more trouble if I leave you alone while I do that. Come with me, please?"

"Fine." Azula ignored the arm, tried to stand up on her own, and then quickly grabbed Ty Lee's sleeve for balance as she stumbled. "But only because it would be foolish to stay here alone."

Ty Lee didn't say a word as Azula leaned on her.

"Ty Lee."

"Hm?"

"Did you think my rules were stupid?" Azula's fingers dug into Ty Lee's upper arm muscles.

"Huh?"

"Did you betray me at the Boiling Rock because you thought my rules were stupid? Because I wasn't a good enough leader to follow?"

"What? No!" Ty Lee stopped, making Azula bump into her. "I thought you were really smart and pretty and perfect! I've told you a jillion times: I only stopped you because I couldn't let you kill Mai. I would have helped you kill pretty much anyone else. I think you know that, even if you don't want to admit it."

"And now? Would you still kill for me?"

Ty Lee shrugged and started walking again. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it yet. Why do you want to know?"

Azula ignored the question. "You never think about anything before you do it. You never have."

"And all of my best decisions were made spur-of-the-moment. I never would have run away from home to join the circus if I'd had time to talk myself out of it! Maybe my intuition is just smarter than my brain."

"You sound like my uncle."

"That's not so bad. Your uncle is funny and nice and has a really calming blue aura."

Azula stumbled, tugging down Ty Lee's sleeve. "He's senile, weak, and old-fashioned. According to him, Pai Sho is more fun than war, and women shouldn't be allowed to fight in the army."

"Nobody's perfect, Azula. Not even you."

The silence that followed was as sharp as if Azula had raked her nails across Ty Lee's face. Ty Lee sighed and knocked on Iroh's bedroom door.


	8. Chapter 8

Iroh's bones ached. He had been standing guard over a niece he didn't even care for since well before the sun woke up, and his body resented him for it. He stretched, his joints crackling like a forest fire.

The other four inhabitants of the royal family's house slept on the dining hall's wooden floor. Azula was curled into a ball on her makeshift bed, not unlike a cat. Next to her, Ty Lee slept on her stomach with her arms flung out to either side. She was smiling and drooling into her pillow.

Lo was the first to wake up, and Li sat up on her palette the second Lo stood up.

"No trouble for the rest of the night?" Lo asked.

Iroh yawned. "None. It was a mistake to allow Azula to sleep in her old bedroom. I suspect that her assassin was hired by someone who knows the princess very well."

Lo and Li exchanged looks. "Someone on the palace staff?"

"She did make many enemies among them."

"We're sure she's in good hands with you."

Iroh yawned again. "Your words of kindness are appreciated. Of course, a cup of tea would be even more welcome. It has been a long night."

"Li and I can make some."

"You go ahead." Li folded the faded red sheets. "It doesn't take two for that, and the cook will be in soon to prepare breakfast anyways."

The door squeaked at Lo's exit, and Ty Lee stirred, rubbing her face. "This floor is so scratchy." She rolled onto her back and opened her grey eyes. "Good morning."

Iroh and Li murmured their greetings.

Ty Lee pulled a comb out from under her pillow and began unbraiding her hair. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"No," Iroh said. "In fact, you are a little early."

Azula grumbled and stretched out. "Stop talking or I'll have you all banished."

"Sorry," Ty Lee whispered. "I thought we were being quiet enough. You can go back to sleep."

Azula rubbed her eyes. "Oh, never mind. I'm awake now. Why couldn't I have the guards who never say a word?"

"It is morning," Iroh said. "It is a perfectly acceptable time of day for us to talk. You would do well to remember that the world does not bow to you anymore."

The door squeaked open again. "It appears we are out of food," Lo announced. "The cook won't be pleased to make a trip to the market so early in the day."

"I will go," Iroh said. "It will be good for Azula to get some fresh air during the early morning, and she will be safest before the crowds arrive."

"I'll go too!" Ty Lee bounced onto her feet. "I'm supposed to help protect her, right?"

"I am not leaving this house." Azula rolled over. "In fact, I might not leave this patch of floor today."

"That is not the way it works," Iroh said. "If you want to stay out of the asylum, you must at least try to act sane. And sane people don't lie on the floor all day. Get up. We will go to the market and get some sunshine."

"Come on, Azula! It'll be fun." Ty Lee pulled Azula into a sitting position. "I'm dying to get out of this place for a little bit. I'll put up your hair and do your makeup for you like I used to, if you want."

Azula seemed to enjoy that idea. "Well, if you absolutely insist, I suppose I could be charitable. You may have the honor of grooming me this morning, Ty Lee."

Iroh narrowed his eyes at Azula. It was amazing that even after an entire year locked away, she was as rude and arrogant as ever.

Ty Lee didn't seem bothered by the condescending tone. "How do you want me to do your hair? Do you want it in a top knot like you used to wear, or-?" She pulled Azula into the powder room and closed the door, shutting out Iroh's ears.

Iroh splashed water from the basin on his face, combed his hair and beard, and dressed for the day. It took Azula and Ty Lee significantly longer to be ready, and the air was humid and warm by the time they set out with their baskets. Azula did seem a little more like herself wearing makeup and proper gold-trimmed red robes. Iroh was not certain that was a good thing.

"I shouldn't have to walk." Azula's complaints were spread out around her wheezes. "I shouldn't have to fetch food from the market like a peasant. This is undignified. And besides, I can hardly breathe."

"Maybe you should be quiet, then," Iroh suggested.

Ty Lee's face wrinkled up, like she was trying desperately not to laugh.

They found themselves at the top of a hill looking down over the rest of the island, and Ty Lee clapped her hands together. "Look how pretty the sunrise is! The sun is all sparkly on the water, and the clouds are so big and poofy today!"

"The sky and ocean..." Azula leaned against a palm tree, breathing hard and clawing at her side. "They look as if they're on fire."

"Most beautiful," Iroh agreed.

They didn't speak again until they reached the market.

"What kind of fruits do you like?" Iroh asked Ty Lee.

"I'm not a very picky eater." Ty Lee picked up a mango and sniffed it. "These are my favorite, but I'll eat just about anything. Azula, do you still like peaches and cherries best?"

"Yes, but if I have to bother with the pits, I'd rather go hungry. Someone will be taking the pits out for me, won't they?"

Iroh rubbed his shoulder to keep from smacking her. "Perhaps you are forgetting our conversation from earlier, Azula. The world-"

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman with streaks of white in her brown hair, gasped. "Fire Lord Azula!" She dropped her broom and fell to her knees. Her forehead pressed into the dirt at Azula's feet. "Fire Lord Azula, your presence honors my humble shop."

Azula's expression of shock vanished before Iroh's or Ty Lee's. She smirked at Iroh, and then stared down at the woman. "As it should. You've no doubt heard that I was the rightful winner of the Agni Kai? If I hadn't been usurped by my cheating brother and his water tribe whore, I would be the one wearing the crown."

"Yes, Fire Lord Azula." The woman remained prostrate on the ground. "The Fire Nation is uneasy because of the situations in the colonies. Know that you are still adored by the masses. Should you try to reclaim your rightful place on the throne-"

"Get up," Iroh snapped. "Get up before I have you arrested for sedition. Fire Lord Zuko rules this nation. Azula went crazy and lost!"

The woman rose, but the look she gave him was almost as poisonous as Azula's. "Ember Island is loyal to you, Fire Lord Azula." She gave one last bow before picking up her broom.

Iroh hauled Azula away from the shop, even as she waved her hand regally to acknowledge the woman. Ty Lee scurried after them, carrying the basket of fruit.

Azula was still giving him that smug look. "I'm so pleased that I joined the two of you on this little excursion. What were you about to say before that woman interrupted us, Uncle? Something about the world not bowing to me anymore?"

"If you so much as think of harming your brother, I will have you back in that asylum before you can blink."

Her face slipped into a sneer, and she put her hands on her hips. "Relax, Uncle. I'm on too short a leash to do anything of the sort. For now, I'm content to sit back and watch my loyal followers do all the planning and hard work. Maybe they'll kill Zuzu for me, and I won't even have to lift a finger."

Iroh took calming breaths through his nose. "I would advise you to keep quiet until we have returned home."

"Or what? You'll strike me? Cut out my tongue? Burn me to a crisp?"

"You would be wise to stop giving me ideas."

Ty Lee grabbed Azula's hand. "I think he means it, Azula. Please stop talking before something bad happens."

Azula scoffed. "I'm not afraid of an old man, Ty Lee."

"I know, but all this negative energy between you two is really scaring me! Please, Azula."

Azula hesitated. She finally snatched her hand away from Ty Lee and crossed her arms, empty basket dangling off one wrist, but she didn't speak again for the duration of their trip. For all Azula's venom towards her bodyguards, it appeared that Zuko had been right about his sister having a soft spot for Ty Lee.


	9. Chapter 9

There was hot tea waiting for them when they arrived. Lo and Li were already situated with their cups. Iroh and Ty Lee turned their groceries over to the cook, a thin, twitchy woman. While the cook prepared breakfast, the five of them sat at the smaller dining table.

"I had the most interesting encounter at the market." Azula leaned towards Lo and Li. "Apparently one of the shopkeepers thinks I should be Fire Lord instead of Zuko. It's not surprising, of course, considering the uproar over the Fire Nation colonies, but it is nice to be appreciated."

The twin sisters kept their faces impassable, a skill they'd brought with them when they'd arrived at the palace as Azulon's seventeen-year-old concubines. Iroh had been twelve then, and he was no less impressed now than he had been fifty-something years ago.

"You must be careful how you speak of your brother, and in front of whom," Lo said. "Discretion is everything."

"He is no longer just your brother," Li added. "You could be put to death for speaking against him."

"You have always been reckless about voicing treason. Your mother did not fear for your safety without cause."

"You don't know the first thing about my mother." Azula shoved her teacup away. "The Fire Nation wants me- needs me. Zuko simply wasn't meant to be Fire Lord."

Iroh refilled Ty Lee's cup with the teapot. "That's enough. Fire Lord Zuko is expecting a messenger hawk from me soon, and I do not think he will be pleased if I tell him how openly you speak of deposing him. If you do not stop, there could be unpleasant consequences."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Zuzu is even softer than you are, and you would cut out your heart to feed a filthy street urchin. You keep threatening to send me back to the asylum, Uncle, but we both know Zuko will never let that happen. You can't pawn me off as easily as you did when I was younger. As long as I have assassins after me, you're stuck with me."

Iroh set the teapot down with a thud that was louder than he'd expected, now that the room had gone silent. "You overestimate your importance. There are others who could guard you. I am doing this as a favor for Zuko, and for no other reason."

"I've never had any illusions you were doing this out of love or concern for me, dearest Uncle. What I don't understand is why you've always liked my incompetent brother so much more than me. He's the whiniest person I've ever met. Is it that he reminds you of Lu Ten?"

"You are in dangerous territory, Azula."

Azula folded her hands together. "Fine. We won't talk about Lu Ten. But you haven't answered my question. Why do you like Zuko so much more than me?"

"It might have something to do with you telling me that I was a horrible father at my son's funeral service."

"Perhaps that was the moment you started actively hating me, but you've favored Zuko from the moment I was born. Why? I won't stop asking until you answer me."

Iroh took a large swallow of tea. "Why are you so determined to start a fight before breakfast?"

"Call me curious. Besides, I have nothing better to do. Why did you like Zuko better?"

Iroh sighed. "You were... difficult to like as child."

"All children are difficult to like." Azula clicked her nails against the table, biting her lip pensively. "Do you know what I think it was?"

"Enlighten me."

"I think it was because I was a girl and Zuko was a boy. Do you remember what you told me when you took Zuko and Lu Ten to see the ceremony for the new war memorial? It was almost ten years ago, but I still remember your exact words: 'This is sort of a boys only trip. But perhaps we can bring you home a pretty souvenir.' You know I would have enjoyed that ceremony ten times more than Zuko, even that young."

"You forget that your mother did not want anyone to encourage your interest in war. I was merely respecting her wishes."

"Oh, I know how Mother felt about me. She made it very clear she thought something was wrong with me. Still, you were the crown prince then. You could have found a way to please her without forcing dolls and dresses onto me, if you'd wanted to. The fact that you didn't proves that you're either lazy, stupid, or sexist."

Iroh chuckled to hide his anger with self-deprecation, like he usually did. "Perhaps so, Azula."

"You're such a hypocrite, Uncle." She was using that seductive, singsong voice that had always set Iroh's teeth on edge. "Zuko told me all about how you believe in second chances, but that's only for him, isn't it? Every time he did something you didn't agree with, you were so quick to forgive him and support him and pretend like you were the father he never had. But if a woman does something you don't agree with, she's crazy and evil and should be locked away forever. Am I getting warmer, Uncle?"

Iroh bristled, even though she was spouting nonsense. "No, I think you're crazy and evil because you tried to murder the avatar and your own brother."

"It was an Agni Kai to the death. Zuko was trying to do the exact same thing to me, and you were the one who told him to, as I understand it. As for the avatar, he was the single biggest threat to the Fire Nation. I had orders from my father to stop him by any means necessary."

"He was a twelve-year-old child!"

"And I was a fourteen-year-old child. What is your point, exactly?"

"My point is that you have been given plenty of chances, far more than I would ever give Zuko, and with each one you have pushed everyone that might help you away from you."

Ty Lee was biting her thumbnail, eyes darting back and forth between Iroh and Azula.

Azula laughed. "Really, Uncle? That's the way you see it? You think you would have helped me? Perhaps I did push you away when I was a child, but only because you pushed me away first by refusing to accept me the way you accepted Zuko. In fact, the only person who ever appreciated my skills and ambition, rather than chiding me for not being ladylike, was my father. Yet you're surprised that I've always preferred his company to yours? My father appreciates true greatness, regardless of gender, unlike you."

"You are acting paranoid. I do not have an agenda against women. I simply did not enjoy your company as much as I enjoyed Zuko's. My decision not to take you to the war memorial ceremony is not what turned you evil. No one is responsible for your actions except for you."

Azula stretched her arms above her head. "Oh, I know that. I'm happy to take responsibility for my actions- I'm proud of them. I served my father and my nation well, and I'm confident I acted in the best interests of my loyal citizens. It's the rest of you who are all so ashamed to have me in the family. But the delicious irony is that all of you made me who I am. So thank you, Uncle, for leaving me behind while you watched over Zuzu in his exile. I'm sure you would have made me as soft and stupid as him, if you'd had the chance. The same goes for my mother. She's probably dead, buried in the Earth Kingdom like Lu Ten."

"If she is dead, you might as well have been the one who killed her." Iroh's temper rose like heat in a sauna at the mention of his son's name. "If not for you, your mother would never have been banished. It is no wonder she said goodbye to Zuko and not you."

It was an incredibly low blow, one Iroh regretted the instant he'd said it. He knew he had struck a painful nerve even before he sensed the rush of energy and combustion in Azula. The tablecloth burst into flames, immolating the napkins and hiding Azula and Ty Lee behind a pillar of orange and yellow flames licking the ceiling. Iroh extinguished the fire with a flick of his hands and surveyed the damage.

Both of the teenagers were singed, although neither seemed to have realized she was on fire before Iroh had put her out. The sleeves of their robes had received the worst of the damage. Azula blinked at the blackened fabric, pretending to be as shocked as the rest of the table. Her feigned expression was that of the surprise of a small child first realizing their feelings could control fire. But Azula was no child, and Iroh had no intention of being fooled by another one of her games. In fact, her attempt at looking innocent downright enraged him. If he had hesitated even a second, Ty Lee would have suffered serious burns all over her arms.

Fuming, Iroh leapt up and grabbed Azula's elbow. He dragged her onto her feet and unknotted her sashes and ties. "I warned Fire Lord Zuko that loosening that device was a grave mistake. You complain about no one giving you a second chance? Your brother gave you one, and you used it to set Ty Lee on fire!" He pulled her outer robe down her arms, leaving her in her sleeveless white undershirt. "You could have killed her, and perhaps even burned the entire house to cinders in the process. I may not have the power to put you back where you belong in the asylum, but I will not allow you to hurt anyone else."

Azula seemed to be frozen in place, as if too stunned or proud to move. Her fingers curled around the back of her chair until her knuckles went as white as her face. She stared out the far window, and the only proof that she was still alive was the tremor of her throat as she swallowed.

Iroh whacked the heel of his hand against her back, knocking the air out of her lungs like one did before saddling a defiant horse. When she coughed out her air reserve, he yanked the laces as tight as he could. The ribbons made patches of his fingers bulge around them.

Azula grunted, and her whole body appeared to tense and curl inward. Iroh ignored her dramatics. The corset pulled still tighter until the edges overlapped. Iroh tied a bow snug against the mesh and double-knotted the loops. Satisfied that she would not be able to firebend at all, he tugged her robe back over her shoulders. Azula stood behind her chair like a statue as the cook set the first two platters of food on the table.

Her voice was soft but filled with hate when she finally spoke. "May I go now?"

"No." Iroh sank into his chair. "You will sit right there so I can keep my eye on you."

Her chair scraped back, and she sat down delicately. Her eyes and sleeves were still smoldering. Ty Lee immediately scooted her chair closer to Azula's, but her whispers were loud enough for Iroh to hear over the clicks of chopsticks.

"Are you okay, Azula?"

"Go away."

"You just look like you're in pain. If it's hurting you, I could-"

"I _said_, go away."

"Okay, okay." Ty Lee propped her head on her fist, looking unnaturally miserable.

Iroh ladled porridge into his bowl. Ty Lee played with her food, mashing it together as she split guilty looks between Azula and Iroh. Azula didn't move; she just sat there, hands in her lap and head bowed. Iroh realized it would be difficult to eat now that the corset was so tight. Too bad, he decided. She would just have to eat slowly.

"Azula."

It took her a moment to raise her head. When she did, Iroh immediately recognized the look on her face. It was the same expression Zuko wore whenever he was struggling not to cry.

"What?" she demanded, voice cracking.

"Eat your breakfast. I don't care if it takes you until lunch time to finish it."

Ty Lee rushed to put food in front of Azula. "Here, you like all of this. Everything tastes really good today."

No one spoke again. Iroh was all talked out for the moment, but it seemed a bit odd that this house was home to so many awkward silences, considering that five of them were there.

Lo and Li excused themselves as soon as they'd finished eating. Ty Lee scraped her plate clean half an hour later, licking the last of her congealed porridge off her spoon.

"You may go if you like, Ty Lee." Iroh observed that Azula's plate appeared to be untouched, and took a book from the shelf to occupy the time. "I will make sure she eats. Go enjoy the beach! Someone with such a sunny disposition should not be locked away in the dark all day. There are many handsome young men on the beach this time of year."

Ty Lee chewed on her lip. "That's okay. I'll stay here."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's fine." Ty Lee was too subdued, not quite meeting his eyes. "I don't mind. It's probably too hot right now, anyways."

Iroh shrugged and opened the book. It was a little dusty, but it was one of his favorites: _The Science of Strategy_. He was halfway through the third section when Ty Lee's chair creaked.

"Oh, please don't cry, Azula!"

Iroh looked up from his page. Tears dripped down Azula's cheeks, silent as whatever assassin was stalking her. One hand was plunged down the front of her robe, fingers prying at the top of the corset.

"Don't, don't do that." Ty Lee took both of Azula's hands in hers. "You'll just make it worse if you mess with it." She turned to stare at Iroh with her big grey eyes, her little button nose wiggling in worry. "I think it's really hurting her. Can't I please loosen it a little? I don't think she meant to cause that fire! Azula would never set me on fire on purpose in a hundred million years, even if she was really mad at me. It was just an accident, and no one got hurt."

Iroh observed Azula, trying to discern whether this was one of her tricks or not. She turned her face away, shielding the side nearest him with her hand, but her tears gave way to noisier weeping. Her breathing was so limited that she could only get in one or two good cries before she would have to suck in another breath.

"Are you in pain from the corset?" he asked.

Azula refused to respond for a moment. The harder she cried, the more out of breath she became, until she was struggling like a fish on a hook. Sob, gasp, sob, gasp. Finally, pain apparently overcame pride, and she nodded.

"Calm down, Azula!" Ty Lee grabbed her by the shoulders. "Your lips are turning blue. You have to calm down, okay?"

Iroh shoved his chair out of the way and squatted in front of Azula's chair. Her lips had indeed lost all their color, turning a sickly white-blue. No wonder Ty Lee had suddenly begun acting as nervous as Zuko did around Ozai; Iroh was literally strangling the life out of a teenage girl with the firebending control of a small child. In his haste to teach Azula a lesson, he might even have crushed ribs or organs.

Iroh caught Ty Lee's eye. "Help me get her on the table."

They shoved the plates and cups down the table and then pulled Azula onto it, face first. Ty Lee fumbled with Azula's robe, and Iroh untied the laces. He plucked each criss-crossed strand like strings on a harp, until he was rewarded with the music of a deep, panicked gulp of air. Leaving the corset untied, he helped her back into her chair.

"Ice," she sobbed. "So much ice."

Ty Lee pulled Azula's clothes into place and then hugged her. "It's okay. No more ice, I promise."

To Iroh's surprise, Azula held on tight to Ty Lee and cried into her chest. Ty Lee rubbed her back with one hand, pressing Azula's head against her heart with the other. As Azula regained her composure, she pushed Ty Lee away and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Am I allowed to go outside?" she asked Iroh.

He nodded. "As long as one of us is with you."

Azula rose, wobbling into Ty Lee, and made her way towards the door to the beach without looking back. Ty Lee chased after her, leaving Iroh to try to rub the dull throb out of his head and face.


	10. Chapter 10

Ty Lee didn't have to run very fast to catch up. Azula had begun stripping off her clothing as soon as the sand had crunched under her bare feet.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee grabbed the red robe as it flew over Azula's head.

Azula didn't answer. She strode away from the house, discarding clothes as she went.

"Azula, slow down." Ty lee ran after her. "You're kind of acting… crazy."

That earned her a glare, which Azula tossed over her shoulder with her long trousers.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just worried about you. Are you okay?"

Azula walked towards the shoreline in her white undershorts and mesh-covered camisole.

Ty Lee grabbed her by the arm. "Please talk to me, Azula! You're scaring me."

Azula finally stopped, though she didn't turn around. Instead, she sat cross-legged under a patch of palm trees and stared out at the glittering water.

Ty Lee dropped down next to her, hand still attached to Azula's wrist. "You know I'm on your team, right?" she asked. When Azula didn't answer, she sighed. "I'm just trying to be a good friend. Do you want to talk about what just happened?"

"No."

"Okay." Ty Lee stretched out her legs. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"I don't know."

"Okay."

Azula sat still as a stone. Maybe she was meditating or lost in thought; Ty Lee couldn't read her as well now. But she wasn't pulling her arm away from Ty Lee's grasp, so that seemed like a good thing. They sat in total silence for a long while.

"What was prison like for you?"

The question was so unexpected that it took Ty Lee a second to process it. "What?"

"Did they chain you up in prison? Or did they let you go outside? Did they feed you and let you use the toilet every day?"

"Well— yeah." Ty Lee scratched her head. "It was pretty nice, actually, all things considered. We went outside twice a day and they always fed us and I made a lot of new friends. We had a squat toilet in our cell, and they never chained anyone up unless someone was being extremely dangerous. Mai and I even took a sewing class together for our educational period. Why do you ask?"

"Zuko took me to see our father the day before I moved here." Azula's legs uncurled next to Ty Lee's. "After all Dad's done to him, Zuzu still drinks tea with him every week. I didn't have anything to say when I went, but Dad complained about everything. 'They serve me this peasant slop and a cup of well water three times a day. I'd rather starve to death.' He said he was just waiting for the chance to escape or kill himself."

Ty Lee didn't understand why Azula was telling her any of this, but she was terrified she'd say the wrong thing and shut down the conversation. "A lot of people want to hurt your dad," she said cautiously. "But I know Zuko's been checking on him a lot to make sure he's okay. I'm sure your dad's food and stuff are fine."

"Oh, it was all better than fine. His dinner was a huge tray of rice and roast duck and vegetables. And he had a little window near the ceiling that let in the sunset and fresh air. He said the sun mocked him, mocked the loss of his bending, but I—" She took a deep breath, struggling more than usual to hide her emotions. "I would have done _anything_ for a glimpse of sun over the past year."

The meaning behind the conversation clicked in Ty Lee's mind like a key in a lock. Her hand slid down Azula's arm until it covered the trembling, white hand. "Azula, what was the asylum like for you?"

Azula laughed, even as her chin quivered. "It felt like I was trapped in that peasant girl's ice for the entire year. I was drugged near sleep most of the time, but I remember that I never felt any relief from the cold and dread, except-" She paused and then apparently decided she wasn't ready to talk about that yet. "I could hardly breathe, let alone move, but they chained me to the bed anyways. I refused to eat during the first few days, so I only have myself to blame for making them give up on that. And my doctors, they…" She tried and failed to stop a shiver. "Actually, I don't remember anything well enough to complain about it. It feels like it was a series of dreams that I forgot the second it ended. But I still have nightmares about those dreams." Azula leaned back as if she was going to lie down.

Ty Lee scooted over, offering her lap as a pillow. "I had no idea how bad things were for you. I thought— we all thought— that there were doctors and nurses taking good care of you. I guess I pictured clean beds and pretty flower gardens and dessert every night."

Azula stretched out like a starfish under the sun, burrowing her toes in the sand. "Yes, that's more or less the picture my uncle painted for Zuko when he recommended I be placed there."

Ty Lee remembered what Iroh had said, something about the asylum being a terrible place for a teenage girl, and her nostrils flared. He had known all along it was a bad place, and he had made Azula go there anyways. And he had probably done it for no other reason than to help Zuko stay Fire Lord. Her hands shook with a rush of fighting adrenaline, so she smoothed the thinning black hair that had fallen over Azula's forehead.

"But you're not there anymore, at least," Ty Lee offered. "And I really am on your team. If anyone tries to make you go back—"

Something white launched itself onto Azula's stomach. Azula gasped and sat straight up, flinging sand everywhere. Time seemed to freeze. Ty Lee leapt onto her knees, certain that she and Azula were a heartbeat away from being blown up by some kind of bomb.

Instead, she found a tiny white kitten. Its claws were stuck in the fine mesh of Azula's corset. Ty Lee laughed.

"Calm down, Azula. It's just a kitty."

"I hate cats," Azula snarled. "Get it off of me!"

Ty Lee lifted the kitten up, detaching its claws from the mesh. "There. All better."

"I hate cats. They're stupid, filthy animals."

Ty Lee cradled the kitty against her armor. "That's mean. Cats are really clean and cute! Look at that tiny little face and tell me it doesn't make you happy."

"Whatever you say." Azula's shoulders slumped. "I don't appreciate it scaring me. It's not even noon yet, and I've already my fill of unpleasantness for the day. I'm half tempted to take a nap."

"Why don't you?" Ty Lee sat back down and patted her lap. "I'll keep watch. I know we woke you up early this morning."

"Fine, but be sure to keep that thing away from me." Azula laid her head on Ty Lee's thigh and closed her eyes.

This time, her breathing turned sleepy almost immediately. After a few moments of Azula lying still, the kitten crept down Ty Lee's leg and onto the shiny metal corset that covered Azula's stomach. Apparently the sun had made it the perfect temperature for sleeping. Ty Lee grinned. Azula didn't even stir.

Ty Lee watched the Ember Island vacationers play in the water while Azula and the kitty slept. They were mostly rich teenagers in expensive bathing suits, and they kept their distance from the Fire Lord's patch of ocean. It looked like fun, though, the way they bobbed up and down with the cresting waves. She could hear them laughing and calling to each other, even though they were so far away they were smaller than her pinky nail.

The crunch of footprints behind her reminded her that she was supposed to be on bodyguard duty. Ty Lee glanced up the beach. Iroh was struggling over the sand dunes to reach her and Azula.

"Ty Lee." He greeted her with a bow. "Please, don't get up. I'm sure Azula could use the nap, and I would feel terrible if I disturbed the sleep of such an adorable kitten. How does Azula seem to you?"

"Not too bad, all things considered." Ty Lee was almost surprised by how cool her tone was towards him.

"No lingering physical pain?"

"I don't think so. Just emotional pain."

"I see." He sat down near them.

Ty Lee couldn't help flinching. Iroh had always been Azula's nice, funny uncle who had sneaked treats to all the children. Ty Lee kind of wished she could still think of him as the one safe grown-up in Azula's family. At the same time, she was glad she had been there to see him hurt Azula. Ursa had always been quick to falsely accuse Azula of lying, especially whenever she liked or feared whomever Azula was currently tattling on. Ty Lee didn't think she would react like that; after all, Azula didn't outright lie much, and Ty Lee could usually tell when she did. The problem was that she didn't know if Azula would have told her about Iroh's violence if she hadn't been sitting there when it happened. And if Iroh was going to hurt Azula, Ty Lee wanted to know.

Her dark mood must have shown on her face, because Iroh frowned. "I'm very sorry if I frightened you," he said. "I made a mistake earlier. I lost my temper."

"It's okay," Ty Lee said, even though it wasn't okay at all. "I grew up with Azula. Her dad used to lose his temper and hurt Zuko and Azula all the time, especially when they had firebending accidents." She said it in her sweetest, most genuine voice so he would feel especially guilty.

It seemed to work. He frowned. "Be that as it may, I don't want to make you run away and join the circus again."

"I won't," Ty Lee promised. "I have a job here." And she wasn't about to abandon her friend for a third time, not while Iroh had complete control of Azula's life.

"Something is bothering you besides breakfast."

Ty Lee took a deep breath. "If you knew the asylum would be such a horrible place for Azula, why did you convince Zuko to put her there anyways?"

"The asylum may not be the nicest place in the Fire Nation, but it is the only place we have for taking care of crazy people."

"They didn't take care of her, though! And Azula's not crazy!"

"I assure you that she was when we took her to the asylum."

Ty Lee ground her fistful of sand so hard she half-expected it to turn to glass. "And did you ever go back to check on her and see how she was doing? Did you ever talk to her doctors? Did you ever send a hawk to find out if she was okay?"

"I see you're still loyal to her."

"You're changing the subject. But yeah, someone has to care about her if you and the rest of her family don't! She's my friend."

"I'm afraid being a friend is not one of Azula's strengths."

Ty Lee took a deep breath. As angry as she was, she couldn't afford to blow up at Iroh. "Zuko was worse at firebending than Azula was at being a friend when they were kids, but none of the grown-ups in his life gave up on teaching him all the forms. No one taught Azula how to be nice or be a friend, but she tries harder than anyone gives her credit for! I think you're so busy seeing the things you hate about yourself and your family that you can't see any of the good things in her. You—" She tried to think up one of his confusing metaphors. "You're so angry about tree roots making your road bumpy that you can't see all the amazing stuff high up in the trees, like birds and flowers and fruits and stuff. And the only craziness I see in her is because of how awful the asylum was. So if me being Azula's friend is going to be a problem, you should probably just fire me now."

Iroh stood up and bowed to her. "I understand. Please send Azula to speak with me when she wakes."

As he returned to the house, Ty Lee scritched the kitty behind the ears. As good as that had felt to say, it was tempered by the worry that he was going to call her bluff and fire her. She sighed.

"Stop sighing," Azula said, keeping her eyes shut. "He's not going to fire you."

"Azula! How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it." Azula's lips turned up a little, making her look devious. "I woke up when you two first started talking, but I thought it would be more interesting if I pretended to keep sleeping. And I was right."

Ty Lee's face felt like it was going to overheat. "Oh."

"Did you mean all of that? What you said about me?"

"Yeah, I did. You really don't think he'll fire me?"

"He doesn't have the authority, and Zuko won't." Azula covered the kitten's back with her hand, scrunching her fingers into its soft, furry belly.

"Aren't you going to go talk to your uncle?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ty Lee. I plan to continue sleeping like this for another hour, at least. It would look suspicious if I went in now."

The kitten purred and rubbed its cheeks against Azula's corset.


	11. Chapter 11

Iroh meditated on the steam rising from his teacup. He was approaching this situation with Azula too much like an earthbender. She was too stubborn and sneaky for brute force, and he was too old and tired for it. The best way to control fire was with water: calm, soothing water. And he was not too prideful to entertain the possibility that there was some truth to her (and Ty Lee's) accusations. Perhaps Azula would be a much different person if he had tried to see the parts of her that were not Ozai.

There was a knock on the door, softer and more hesitant than he'd expected.

"Come in."

He'd half-anticipated Ty Lee, based on the gentleness of the knock, but Azula opened the door instead.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Please come in and sit down."

She left the door ajar, casting a nervous look over her shoulder at the empty hallway. She'd come out of the asylum paler than usual, and even her nap in the sun hadn't done much for her color. At least she was dressed again.

"Would you like some tea?"

Azula shook her head. She perched on the front half of her seat, hands folded in her lap and knees pressed together. "What did you want to talk about?"

Iroh leaned back so he could get a better look at her. "The whole reason you're wearing that contraption is because Zuko believes that some day he will be able to trust you with your firebending again. If he didn't, he would have allowed the avatar to permanently remove your bending."

Azula grimaced. Her eyes fixated on the red phoenix pattern of Iroh's teacups.

"Zuko trusts you. He might not trust the you that you are today, but he has not given up on you the way I did."

Azula crossed her arms, slouching back in the chair.

"Your words made me realize that I've made some mistakes as your uncle. I should not have hurt you this morning, and I should not have treated you so unfairly when you were little. I'm very sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Azula's lips pressed together, one eyebrow quirked in surprise. "It's the loudest sign of weakness."

"It's a sign that I would like to start our relationship over," Iroh said. "I would like a second chance as your uncle."

Azula inclined her head to the side, clearly analyzing his offer. "If I agree, will you convince Zuko to give me back my freedom and take this corset off of me?"

Iroh chuckled to hide his irritation. "Maybe eventually. But if you agree, we can immediately end this power struggle, at least for a while, and figure out how to get along more peacefully. I don't know about you, but I find this whole ordeal very draining."

Azula stared at him through narrowed eyes. It didn't take a mind-reader to know that she was calculating a way to manipulate this move against him. Finally, her shoulders drooped, and she nodded. "This whole game is a bit exhausting, isn't it? I accept your challenge. Let's pretend as if we're meeting for the first time."

They rose and bowed to each other.

Iroh smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Azula."

"Likewise, Uncle Iroh."

They sat back down, and Iroh filled a second teacup. "Zuko tells me your father delegated your advanced training to Lo and Li."

Azula stiffened. "My father was very busy, and Lo and Li were more than adequate as teachers. Father planned to train me himself, once the comet had passed. It's not like he completely neglected my advanced traning."

Iroh cringed inwardly. He recognized his own youthful panic to blindly defend his father's every move. "I didn't mean to imply that he had," he said. "I only wanted to make a suggestion."

"What is it?"

"As long as we are forced to live in the same home, perhaps we could learn from each other. I have five decades of experience in many subjects, and I'm sure you have much you could teach me."

Azula's lips curled upwards, just a fraction. "It sounds more interesting than lying around all day. I accept. You may teach me advanced firebending techniques first."

Iroh took a long gulp of calming tea. "Perhaps we should wait until you've recovered some of your strength for that."

Azula sighed and took the cup in her hands. "I suppose you're right. But what other lessons would I have? I already know everything else."

He chuckled again. This was so much more painful than he'd imagined. "Then you can teach me. Why don't we begin with military strategy?"

"I think it's safe to say I'm an expert in that area." Azula smirked at her tea. "I'll be happy to teach you all I know. Shall we begin tomorrow morning?"

"If you like."

Azula finished her tea and set the cup back on the desk. "Did you want to talk about anything else?"

"No. You may go."

Once Azula had pulled the door shut behind her, Iroh let out a long sigh of relief. It would be nice if doing the right thing overlapped more often with doing the easy and enjoyable thing.


	12. Chapter 12

Azula hadn't said anything about her talk with her uncle, but Ty Lee knew it had gone well. She knew it because Azula was currently dangling one of Ty Lee's pink hair ribbons in front of the little white kitten's face and laughing so hard she had to hold the side of her corset.

"Kittens are so stupid," Azula giggled, tugging the ribbon out of the cat's grasp. "Look, Ty Lee, look. It thinks it's attacking live prey. Silly, foolish little creature."

"Maybe she knows it's just a ribbon." Ty Lee propped herself up on one elbow. "People play all kinds of games that imitate real life, but we know they're just games. Who says cats don't do the same thing?"

"I say." Azula laid the ribbon on the floor and slithered it across the planks for the kitten. "Anyways, I'm only playing with it because its stupidity amuses me."

"Okay, Azula." Ty Lee rolled onto her stomach, resting her arms on a cushion. "I think she really likes you, though, even if you think she's stupid."

"Of course she likes me." Azula jerked the ribbon away before the cat could pounce on it. "Anyone with an ounce of good taste likes me."

Ty Lee grinned as Azula made the kitty dance on its back legs for the ribbon. "I must have lots of good taste, then!"

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up.

"Time for dinner," Lo and Li said in unison.

"What should we do with this thing while we eat?" Azula nudged the kitten with her foot.

It attacked her slipper, curling around it and digging its claws in.

"I'll take it outside." Ty Lee picked up the kitty and carried it out the front door. "See you later, Kitty!" She set it in the flowerbed and waved at it.

The little cat spotted an interesting bug and went bounding off under the porch after it. Ty Lee climbed back up the stairs and joined Azula in washing her hands.

Dinner was a lot less awful than Ty Lee had been expecting. No one argued or tried to kill anyone else like at breakfast, at least. And Iroh and Azula had apparently forgotten that they knew each other.

"What did you do before you retired, Uncle?" Azula asked politely over her rice soup.

"I was a general in the Fire Nation military. After that, I traveled to around the world learning new firebending skills. I have even been to the spirit world a few times." Iroh wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What did you do before you retired?"

"I was my father's most trusted soldier," Azula said. "I traveled the world for him, hunting down the most dangerous and important enemies of the Fire Nation. I singlehandedly conquered Ba Sing Se in a matter of days, convinced my wayward brother to come home with me, and defended the Fire Nation against a number fierce adversaries. I was supposed to become Fire Lord, but my brother's peasant girl stole the throne away from me and gave it to him. I spent a year starving in a windowless cell in an asylum, and now I live here, on Ember Island."

Ty Lee watched, fascinated, with her head tilted to one side. "You guys really don't remember each other at all? That's so weird!"

"We are making a second attempt at getting to know each other," Iroh said. The twitch in his cheek muscle pleased Ty Lee as much as it scared her.

"Well, Azula's really strong and smart and good at lots of things." Ty Lee slurped the soup from her spoon. "You'll probably like her a lot."

"I hope so." Iroh dipped his spoon into his bowl. "I look forward to beginning lessons with her tomorrow morning."

"Ooh, ooh!" Ty Lee had trouble staying in her seat. "Can I have lessons too? I miss when me and Azula used to pass notes at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls!"

"Don't be so childish, Ty Lee." Azula poked at her noodles. "There won't be any note-passing. These are advanced lessons. Only members of the royal family and the upper circle of nobility receive them."

"And I'm a member of the upper circle of nobility!" Ty Lee reminded her. "It'll be great!"

Azula sighed. "I thought you disowned your family when you ran away the first time. If not, they've probably written you off as dead now that you're a Kyoshi warrior. I'm not sure you count as nobility anymore. Besides, you never did very well in your non-advanced lessons."

Even though Azula was using her matter-of-fact voice instead of her mean one, Ty Lee's eyes and nose burned with tears. "In other words, 'No Circus Freaks Allowed'? Sorry, I didn't realize you thought I was a peasant, let alone a stupid one." She turned away from Azula and folded her arms, allowing her tears to drip down her cheeks.

"Okay, okay, you can have lessons too." Azula laid her chopsticks on the rim of her bowl and put her arms around Ty Lee's shoulders. "Just stop crying, please. I don't think you're stupid, and I would set fire to anyone who called you a peasant. You're still a noblewoman if you want to be. I didn't mean it."

Ty Lee stopped crying. "You're really sorry?"

There was a hiss of breath behind Ty Lee's head. "Yes," Azula said at last, sounding like it physically pained her to say. "I'm… really... sorry… for hurting your feelings."

Ty Lee turned around in Azula's embrace and hugged her. "I forgive you."

They resumed their meal, and no one commented on the short-lived argument.

"So what are you studying first?" Ty Lee asked. "For the advanced lessons, I mean."

"Military strategy." Azula took a drink from her water cup.

That sounded positively awful. "That... sounds like… fun." Ty Lee tried to force a smile.

Iroh chuckled. "You don't have to sit through it if it bores you."

"Yeah, I know." Ty Lee chewed on her lip. "Maybe I'll just stay for part of it."

"Ow, dammit!" Azula lunged under the table.

Something zinged past Ty Lee's ear and embedded itself in a nearby beam, piercing through the exact air that had been occupied by Azula's neck only half a second before. Ty Lee jumped onto her feet, and Iroh, Lo, and Li followed a moment later. Iroh ran to the half-open window, but Ty Lee could already see no one was there.

They turned back to Azula and found her holding up the white kitten, her fingers pressed into the fur under its armpits. She blinked at them. "Why is everyone standing?"

Iroh pointed to the shuriken in the beam. "How did you know to duck just then?"

"I didn't. This damn cat snuck back inside and attacked my leg." She waved the white kitten back and forth. "I leaned down to grab it."

"The kitty saved your life!" Ty Lee grabbed Azula for a big you-almost-died-just-now hug, making sure to include the kitten. "We have to keep her and feed her and take care of her forever!"

"If you absolutely insist," Azula huffed, but she stroked the kitten's silky head when she thought Ty Lee wasn't looking.

Iroh frowned. "These attacks are happening too often. I will send a hawk to Zuko, asking for a patrol around the outside of the house."

"I doubt it will help, but I would appreciate it," Azula said. "Ty Lee, get off of me already!"

Ty Lee held onto her (despite the protests) until she was sure Azula was done trembling.


End file.
